Letters to the editor

Righteousness' sake

When men revile you and persecute you, obsessed are they

Editor, The Times:

As a man of faith who hopes some day to have a family, I stand aghast at the actions of Tim Eyman, the Faith and Freedom Network, Sound the Alarm Campaign, and the churches and faith groups that are going to battle to support Referendum 65 ["Effort to repeal state gay-rights law gathers momentum from pulpit," Times page one, May 24].

I wish I could sit down with each of these people and try to understand how a modern, enlightened human being could choose to funnel their energy and resources to the cause of denying another human, and a fellow citizen, basic human rights.

I recognize and respect the fact that there are divergent political views in this democratic country. I stand ready and willing to discuss amicably questions of faith and science and education and funding.

But, what type of Americans are these who seek to rally in the name of discrimination?

Have we learned nothing from any of the genocides; from any of the oppressive regimes around the world? What story do you tell yourselves at night, after a day of campaigning to deny other humans, just like you, basic human rights, based on your judgment of them; based on your perception that your moral system is more moral than theirs?

I recognize your fear — that a world of anarchy and hedonism will threaten your family and religious values. But people? We're talking about other Americans' freedom from discrimination.

If you need to live in a society that legitimates only your way, feel free to relocate to Iran.

In the name of Jesus, Moses and Muhammad, I beg you to look in the mirror and question, for just a moment, whether the solidity of your faith really depends on oppressing other Americans and denying them their rights.

— Joshua Rosenstein, Seattle

If thy right offend thee

Now I get it! When I read a while ago that there are fewer churchgoers in the Pacific Northwest than anywhere else in English-speaking North America, I wondered why. But after reading how members of the Northshore Baptist Church welcomed the so-called Faith and Freedom Network's hateful and ignorant Sound the Alarm Campaign, I no longer wonder why there are so few pew-warmers. I wonder that there are any.

If churches are no longer places where Jesus' directive, "Love one another," is nurtured, if they abuse their tax-exempt status with blatant political activity and rampant hate-mongering, then I'm not surprised decent people are deserting them in droves.

— Peg Boettcher, Seattle

Be not like unto them

Tim Eyman may well collect the signatures he needs to put a [gay rights] referendum on the ballot, but his cynical attempt to take basic protections away from gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered Washingtonians is hardly representative of all people of faith in this state.

More than 500 clergy and lay leaders including Unitarians, Christians, Jews and Muslims have signed the Religious Coalition for Equality's statement supporting House Bill 2661, a law that will protect people from being fired from their jobs or kicked out of their apartments simply because they are gay.

As the co-convener of that coalition, I was shocked to get a request asking me to help Eyman meet his goals. Is he so desperate for signatures that he's approaching even those who are on the record as supporting equality?

Where is The Times coverage of the hundreds of Washington clergy who have declined to participate in Eyman's campaign of hate?

The doors of my ministry — and so many others' across the state — are open to all who wish to enter.

— Rev. Monica Corsaro, ecumenical campus minister, Covenant House, University of Washington, Seattle

Not to destroy but to fulfill

I would rejoice if gay rights were all we had to think about, as opposed to the Iraq war, Darfur, our government's constant erosion of our national self-respect, etc.

Someday, Tim Eyman will be a senior citizen, and we can only hope by then he will be consistently backing issues that matter, or at least trying to counteract the silliness of some young pup who has a skewed sense of what the average citizen really cares about.

— Karen Thompson, Mountlake Terrace

Microsops

Throw out the towel

After reading "Under pressure, Microsoft fights to keep its workers" [page one, May 19], it's clear employees are fleeing because upper management has completely lost touch with them and their needs.

Facing plummeting employee morale and anger over unfair compensation policies, Microsoft conducted an extensive listening tour with thousands of employees. The result? Locker-room towels, staplers, dry cleaning, and a 7-Eleven.

Clearly, most employees will realize zero benefit from these changes. Regrettably, management's response to grave employee concerns was "Let them eat cake."

With its management ranks filled with scores of Michael Browns, Microsoft has now become the high-tech equivalent of FEMA. Despite an increasingly diverse work force, management has remained 90 percent male/white, and this lack of diversity has clearly taken a toll on innovation.

Real change must start at the top by ending cronyism and by shattering the glass ceilings that deny women and minorities fair promotional opportunities.

Bill Gates: Please give employees what they really want: not freshly laundered towels, but a real chance to succeed and be rewarded for it.

— Charles Smith, Bellevue

Taxing our health

The poisons are revolting

So the chemical industry said that just because dangerous toxic chemicals, like mercury, PCBs and flame retardants, were found in people's bodies "doesn't mean they're harmful" ["People in toxin test alarmed to discover what's inside them," Local News, May 24].

That sounds an awful lot like the tobacco industry saying cigarettes don't cause cancer.

I wonder if chemical-industry executives would think these chemicals are harmful if they were found in the bodies of their own children.

— Robert Pregulman, Seattle

Resistance is useful

Dr. Patricia Dawson is so concerned about the toxins she and her guests may bring into her home, she requests they remove their shoes, but fails to require her cats to bathe their feet upon entering. Cats and dogs not only run around a house with their "shoes" on, but many times are on the furniture where we humans sit, place our hands, bodies and heads.

Just think about where your outdoor pet goes during the course of a day and what that pet does in its travels. Actually, don't think about it, it could make you sick.

My suggestion: Quit worrying, keep your shoes on, eat your fish and love your guests and pets.

— Catherine Mueller, Seattle